Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021 - Prepared for Bluesfest Group July 2021
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Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021 Prepared for Bluesfest Group July 2021
Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................ 1
PROJECT METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................................................ 2
Approach ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Output ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Income .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Employment ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Value Added ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Limitations ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Description of Stimulus........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Data Inputs ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Displacements & Leakages ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
ECONOMIC IMPACT .......................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Direct Operating Expenditure ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Bluesfest 2021 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Bluesfest Touring ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Summary of Impacts .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Foregone Tourism Spending ............................................................................................................................................................................................10
Prepared by:
iEconomic Impact of Bluesfest 2021
INTRODUCTION
Lawrence Consulting was commissioned by Bluesfest Group (including Bluesfest Services Pty Ltd and Bluesfest
Touring Pty Ltd) to undertake an assessment of the economic impact of Bluesfest 2021 – both the negative impacts
of the cancellation of the event for the second straight year due to COVID-19 together with the positive effects of the
unrecoverable operational spending on the festival – on the Byron Shire, Northern Rivers, New South Wales and
Australia.
Bluesfest is one of Australia's most acclaimed and respected Festivals and has been the inspiration for dozens of blues
world music and blues and roots festivals around Australia. The analysis is an update of and variation to previous
annual reports completed by Lawrence Consulting and has adopted a similar methodology to the report prepared
following the cancellation of Bluesfest 2020, based on specific information collected from festival patrons in 2019
regarding their spending patterns when visiting the Byron Shire and Northern Rivers regions for the purpose of
determining the economic loss from the cancellation of Bluesfest 2021.
The economic impact assessment has concentrated on the quantitative impact of Bluesfest 2021, specifically the
impact of actual and foregone spending in Byron Shire, and the Northern Rivers region, New South Wales and Australia
more generally, of the opportunity cost of no spectators at the event together with the turnover of Bluesfest Services
Pty Ltd and consequent local and regional purchases of goods and services.
The following sections of this report present the results of the economic impact analysis.
Disclaimer
Lawrence Consulting does not warrant the accuracy of this information and accepts no liability for any loss or damage
that you may suffer as a result of your reliance on this information, whether or not there has been any error, omission
or negligence on the part of Lawrence Consulting or its employees.
1Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021
PROJECT METHODOLOGY
Approach
Cultural activities such as Bluesfest 2021 generate economic benefits for the regional economy through operational
expenditure associated with the organisation / event as well as benefits associated with tourism expenditure /
turnover within the region. As a part of ongoing operations, economic impacts from Bluesfest are generated by
organisational and facility operations, visiting performers and spectator spending. The most visible direct impacts are
spectator spending on tickets, food and beverages, parking, merchandise and camping at the venue, whilst
subsequent rounds of spending include indirect or off-site tourism expenditure and business supply chain purchases.
The opportunity cost from the cancellation of Bluesfest 2021 along with the positive contribution made through
significant unrecovered event spending to the economies of the Byron Shire, Northern Rivers, New South Wales and
Australia has been assessed using the LocalImpact economic model, based on input-output tables developed
specifically for each region. All input data, except where referenced in the report, has been supplied by the proponent,
Bluesfest Services Pty Ltd.
The stimulus from economic activity can be traced through the economy in several different ways:
• The first round effect, or direct effect, are those from the activities expenditure in purchasing goods from other
industries;
• The second round effects are those from the supplying industries increasing their purchases to meet the
additional demand. The second and subsequent rounds of purchasing are termed the indirect effects; and
• The consumption-induced effects, which recognise that the level of local production is important in determining
regional levels of household consumption, that this in turn will be spent locally to a large extent and therefore
influence the level of regional consumption and the level of output of each sector.
(Note: Caution should be exercised when interpreting the consumption impacts as they are generally expected to
overestimate the actual impact.)
These effects can be represented by multipliers. There are commonly four different types of multipliers:
• Output;
• Income;
• Employment; and
• Value added.
Output
The output impact measures the increase in gross sales throughout the whole economy by summing all the individual
transactions resulting, directly and indirectly, from the economic stimulus. The output impacts, are however, regarded
as overstating the impact on the economy as they count all goods and services used in one stage of production as an
input to later stages of production, hence counting their contribution more than once.
Income
The income impact measures the additional amount of wages and salaries paid to employees of the industry under
consideration and to other industries benefiting from the stimulus to the economy.
2Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021
Employment
The employment impact measures the number of jobs created by the stimulus, both directly and indirectly. It should
be noted that the short-term response to increased demand might be for employers to ask existing staff to work
overtime. As a consequence, lower employment than the level indicated by the economic impact of the stimulus will
result. This short-term scenario is particularly true where the demand stimulus is seen as temporary or where there is
spare capacity in the economy (i.e. unemployment).
Value Added
The value added or Gross Regional Product1 (GRP) impact measures only the net activity at each stage of production.
GRP is defined as the addition of consumption, investment and government expenditure, plus exports of goods and
services, minus imports of goods and services for a region. The GRP impacts are the preferred measure for the
assessment and contribution of a stimulus to the economy.
Limitations
Limitations or qualifiers that should be raised when using input-output analysis include:
• The inputs purchased by each industry are a function of the level of output of that industry. The input function is
generally assumed linear and homogenous of degree one (which implies constant returns to scale and no
substitution between inputs);
• Each commodity (or group of commodities) is supplied by a single industry or sector of production. This implies
that there is only one method used to produce each commodity and that each sector has only a single primary
output;
• The total effect of carrying on several types of production is the sum of the separate effects. This rules out external
economies and diseconomies and is known simply as the additivity assumption. This generally does not reflect
real world operations;
• The system is in equilibrium at given prices. This is obviously not the case in an economic system subject to
external influences;
• In the static input-output model, there are no capacity constraints so that the supply of each good is perfectly
elastic. Each industry can supply whatever quantity is demanded of it and there are no capital restrictions. This
assumption would come into play depending upon the magnitude of the changes in quantities demanded,
brought about through changes in taxation levels; and
• The input-output model is an optimisation model that allocates resources between sectors to their most efficient
use. This is not expected to happen all of the time in the “real world” and as such results from the input output
analysis may overestimate the actual impact delivered on ground.
Input-output techniques provide a solid approach for taking account of the inter-relationships between the various
sectors of the economy in the short-term and hence are an appropriate tool for determining the direct and indirect
economic impact of Bluesfest 2021.
1
This is also known as Gross State Product (GSP) or Gross National Product (GNP) depending on the level of the analysis.
3Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021
Description of Stimulus
Data Inputs
The total annual expenditure for Bluesfest Services Pty Ltd on Bluesfest 2021 was approximately $8.7 million in 2020/21
– including approximately $1.2 million in wages and salaries to 17.0 fulltime staff and all purchases of goods and
services – which represented a substantial increase of 120.5% from the level of expenditure in 2019/20 ($4.0 million).
Spending by Bluesfest Services on Bluesfest 2021 in Byron Shire was approximately $3.3 million (up 229.3%), whilst
the amount of expenditure across the rest of the Northern Rivers was $1.5 million (up 54.7%).
Separate to Bluesfest 2021, Bluesfest Touring Pty Ltd spent approximately $1.5 million on Bluesfest Touring in 2020/21,
which represented a significant annual decrease of 54.1%.
Total expenditure by Bluesfest Group in 2020/21 was approximately $10.2 million (up 41.2%), of which an estimated
$3.3 million was spent within Byron Shire.
Table 1: Bluesfest Annual Operating Expenditure by Event and Region of Purchase, 2020/21
Region Bluesfest 2021 Bluesfest Touring Total
Level ($) % of Ann % Level ($) % of Ann % Level ($) % of Ann %
total chg total chg total chg
Byron Shire 3,257,338 37.4% 229.3% 3,676 0.2% -91.8% 3,261,014 31.9% 215.3%
Northern Rivers 1,459,863 16.7% 54.7% 12,764 0.8% 1.7% 1,472,627 14.4% 54.0%
Rest of New 2,625,555 30.1% 215.1% 511,520 33.9% -27.8% 3,137,074 30.7% 103.5%
South Wales
Interstate 1,373,402 15.8% 43.3% 981,563 65.0% 142.9% 2,354,965 23.0% 72.9%
International 1,046 0.0% -99.5% 0 0.0% -100.0% 1,046 0.0% -100.0%
Total 8,717,203 100.0% 120.5% 1,509,523 100.0% -54.1% 10,226,726 100.0% 41.2%
Bluesfest is also a significant cultural and tourism attraction for both local residents and visitors to the region. The total
number of persons who were to attend the event in 2021 was estimated at 28,215, as determined through individual
ticket sales prior to March 31, when the event was cancelled. This represented a significant annual decrease of 12.7%
from the level recorded for the 2020 cancelled event (32,306) as well as the last festival conducted in 2019 (37,191).
Table 2: Bluesfest Attendance 2021 (Foregone)
Ticket type Level Annual Level Level Level Level Level
2021 % change 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
(cancelled) (cancelled)
5-day 10,339 13.5% 9,110 11,716 10,494 12,224 12,311
3-day 8,007 -8.8% 8,783 8,396 5,731 9,326 7,172
1-day 9,869 -31.5% 14,413 17,079 17,838 16,190 21,014
Total attendance 28,215 -12.7% 32,306 37,191 34,063 37,740 40,497
Source: Bluesfest Services
In terms of ticket type, the number of 3-day (8,007) and single-day (9,869) tickets decreased annually in 2021 by 8.8%
and 31.5%, respectively, although in contrast the total number of 5-day tickets grew by 13.5% to 10,339.
4Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021
Bluesfest Attendance by Individual Ticket Type
2021 10,339 8,007 9,869 5 day
2020 9,110 8,783 14,413 3 day
1 day
2019 11,716 8,396 17,079
2018 10,494 5,731 17,838
2017 12,224 9,326 16,190
2016 12,311 7,172 21,014
2015 13,298 7,746 15,814
2014 13,564 6,302 17,800
2013 12,023 6,170 22,414
0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000 45,000
Source: Bluesfest Services
Taking into account regional length of stay, visitor origin and expenditure patterns from data obtained from festival
patron surveys in 2019, which identified average daily expenditure of approximately $304 per person across a range
of spending categories, the foregone annual stimulus to the Byron Shire, Northern Rivers and New South Wales
economies associated with the total prospective attendance at Bluesfest 2021 was estimated at $26.9 million, $44.8
million and $63.3 million, respectively. A summary of the foregone tourism expenditure for 2021 is provided in the
following table.
Table 3: Foregone Indirect Tourism Expenditure by Type, Bluesfest 2021 ($ million)
Expenditure type Byron Shire Northern Rivers New South Wales
Accommodation 7.5 12.6 17.8
Food & beverage 5.4 9.0 12.8
Road transport 1.0 1.7 2.6
Retail shopping 7.9 13.2 18.5
Attractions 5.0 8.3 11.7
Total off-site expenditure 26.9 44.8 63.3
Displacements & Leakages
Displacement arises when an economic stimulus such as Bluesfest 2021 takes market share from other existing local
firms or organisations, or ‘displaces’ alternative uses of project funds that might otherwise have occurred. Leakages
are defined as the proportion of project outputs that flow out of the catchment area, i.e. purchases from outside the
region. In relation to the operation of Bluesfest 2021 and the foregone tourism benefits from the cancellation of the
event, for the purpose of this analysis it has been assumed that both the Byron Shire and Northern Rivers region are
closed economies, i.e. any displacement and leakages are considered marginal. All expenditure related to the stimulus
has been assumed to be made within each region – where not otherwise identified – in order to represent the
additional and foregone economic activity generated by Bluesfest 2021.
5Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021
ECONOMIC IMPACT
Direct Operating Expenditure
Bluesfest 2021
The net annual regional economic impact – i.e. direct, indirect and consumption-induced – associated with the
operation of Bluesfest 2021 on the Byron Shire include (refer table below):
• An estimated direct output of $8.7 million and additional flow on increases in output of $4.5 million through other
industries, for a total industry impact of $13.2 million. A further $0.9 million in output in the region can be
associated with consumption-induced effects;
• Estimated direct income (wages and salaries) of $1.2 million, with $0.8 million in additional income generated
through flow on effects in other industries and a further $0.2 million from household spending;
• Approximately 17.0 direct full-time equivalent (FTE) employment positions, with an estimated additional 16.4
employment positions supported indirectly through other industries and household consumption for a total
employment impact of 33.4 FTEs; and
• An estimated contribution to GRP of $4.2 million from direct effects, with a further flow on impact of $2.2 million
through other industries for a total industry value added of $6.4 million. An additional $0.4 million in gross regional
product can be attributed to consumption-induced effects.
Table 4: Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021, Direct Operating Expenditure
Byron Shire Northern Rivers New South Wales Australia
Output ($ million)
Direct 8.7 8.7 8.7 8.7
Indirect 4.5 6.9 11.6 16.1
Consumption 0.9 2.3 7.1 9.0
Total 14.2 17.9 27.4 33.8
% change from 2019 -40.0% -35.4% -28.4% -39.4%
Income ($ million)
Direct 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2
Indirect 0.8 1.3 2.3 3.3
Consumption 0.2 0.8 2.2 2.7
Total 2.1 3.2 5.7 7.2
% change from 2019 -24.4% -24.4% -18.9% -36.2%
Employment (fte persons)
Direct 17.0 17.0 17.0 17.0
Indirect 13.1 21.3 34.0 45.3
Consumption 3.2 15.3 33.5 41.1
Total 33.4 53.6 84.5 103.4
% change from 2019 -6.4% -15.2% -17.9% -39.5%
Value added ($ million)
Direct 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2
Indirect 2.2 3.4 5.7 7.8
Consumption 0.4 1.8 4.6 6.6
Total 6.9 9.4 14.5 18.6
% change from 2019 -42.3% -37.1% -29.8% -40.3%
6Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021
Bluesfest Touring
The net annual economic impact in 2020/21 associated with Bluesfest Touring operations include (refer table below):
• Total output of $0.0 million in Byron Shire, $1.4 million in New South Wales and $4.5 million in Australia;
• Estimated total income (wages and salaries) of $0.0 million in Byron Shire, $0.4 million in New South Wales and
$1.3 million in Australia;
• Approximately 0.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employment positions in Byron Shire, 2.1 FTEs in New South Wales
and 5.7 FTEs in Australia; and
• An estimated contribution to GRP of $0.0 million in Byron Shire, $0.9 million in New South Wales and $2.9 million
in Australia.
Table 5: Economic Impact of Bluesfest Touring 2020/21, Direct Operating Expenditure
Byron Shire Northern Rivers New South Wales Australia
Output ($ million)
Direct 0.0 0.0 0.5 1.5
Indirect 0.0 0.0 0.2 1.0
Consumption 0.0 0.0 0.7 2.0
Total 0.0 0.0 1.4 4.5
% change from 2019 -99.2% -96.4% -66.8% -34.6%
Income ($ million)
Direct 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.5
Indirect 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3
Consumption 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.6
Total 0.0 0.0 0.4 1.3
% change from 2019 -99.5% -97.7% -65.0% -29.0%
Employment (fte persons)
Direct 0.0 0.1 2.1 5.7
Indirect 0.0 0.0 0.6 2.9
Consumption 0.0 0.1 3.3 9.2
Total 0.0 0.1 6.0 17.8
% change from 2019 -99.5% -97.6% -67.8% -37.3%
Value added ($ million)
Direct 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.9
Indirect 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.5
Consumption 0.0 0.0 0.4 1.5
Total 0.0 0.0 0.9 2.9
% change from 2019 -99.3% -97.2% -65.3% -30.7%
7Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021
Summary of Impacts
The direct and total economic impacts associated with Bluesfest Services (i.e. Bluesfest 2021 and Bluesfest Touring) on
the Byron Shire, the Northern Rivers and New South Wales in 2020/21 are provided in the following table and include:
• Total output of $14.2 million in Byron Shire, $17.9 million in the Northern Rivers and $28.8 million in New South
Wales;
• Estimated total income (wages and salaries) of $2.1 million in Byron Shire, $3.3 million in the Northern Rivers and
$6.1 million in New South Wales;
• Approximately 33.4 full-time equivalent (FTE) employment positions in Byron Shire, 53.7 FTEs in the Northern
Rivers and 90.5 FTEs in New South Wales; and
• An estimated contribution to GRP of $6.9 million in Byron Shire, $9.4 million in the Northern Rivers and $15.4
million in New South Wales.
Table 6: Summary of Economic Impacts of Bluesfest 2021
Byron Shire Northern Rivers New South Wales Australia
Bluesfest 2021 Operations
Output ($ million) 14.2 17.9 27.4 33.8
Income ($ million) 2.1 3.2 5.7 7.2
Employment (fte persons) 33.4 53.6 84.5 103.4
Value added ($ million) 6.9 9.4 14.5 18.6
Bluesfest Touring
Output ($ million) 0.0 0.0 1.4 4.5
Income ($ million) 0.0 0.0 0.4 1.3
Employment (fte persons) 0.0 0.1 6.0 17.8
Value added ($ million) 0.0 0.0 0.9 2.9
Total
Output ($ million) 14.2 17.9 28.8 38.2
Income ($ million) 2.1 3.3 6.1 8.5
Employment (fte persons) 33.4 53.7 90.5 121.2
Value added ($ million) 6.9 9.4 15.4 21.5
The flow-on impacts from Bluesfest 2021 to other industries across Byron Shire as derived from the LocalImpact
model have been disaggregated in order to measure the contribution in other areas of the local economy. The
following table (Table 7) demonstrates that the Arts & Recreation Services industry benefits most in terms of total
output ($9.2 million), followed by Rental, Hiring & Real Estate Services ($2.1 million) and Professional, Scientific &
Technical Services ($0.6 million).
8Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021
Estimated Local Employment Supported by Bluesfest 2021
Byron LGA (FTEs)
Arts & recreation services
Rental, hiring & real estate services
Professional, scientific & technical services
Accommodation & food services
Retail trade
Administrative & support services
Manufacturing
Other services
Wholesale trade
Education & training
Health care & social assistance
Financial & insurance services
Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Transport, postal & warehousing
Information media & telecommunications
Construction
Electricity, gas, water & waste services
Public administration & safety
Mining
0 5 10 15 20 25
Table 7: Estimated Disaggregated Industry Impacts of Bluesfest 2021, Byron Shire
Industry division Industry output Direct employment
($ million) (FTEs)
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 0.131 0.329
Mining 0.005 0.006
Manufacturing 0.303 0.599
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 0.150 0.169
Construction 0.088 0.179
Wholesale Trade 0.210 0.449
Retail Trade 0.169 1.322
Accommodation and Food Services 0.241 1.754
Transport, Postal and Warehousing 0.117 0.322
Information Media and Telecommunications 0.105 0.210
Financial and Insurance Services 0.228 0.345
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services 2.075 3.139
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 0.607 1.836
Administrative and Support Services 0.262 1.043
Public Administration and Safety 0.027 0.140
Education and Training 0.050 0.399
Health Care and Social Assistance 0.050 0.355
Arts and Recreation Services 9.247 20.215
Other Services 0.088 0.574
Total 14.153 33.387
9Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021
Foregone Tourism Spending
The economic impacts of the loss of tourism expenditure associated with the cancellation of Bluesfest 2021 for the
Byron Shire include (refer Table 8 below):
• An estimated direct output of $26.9 million and additional flow on increases in output of $14.0 million through
other industries, for a total industry impact of $40.9 million. A further $10.0 million in output in the region can be
associated with consumption-induced effects;
• Estimated direct income (wages and salaries) of $5.7 million, with $2.5 million in additional income generated
through flow on effects in other industries and a further $1.8 million from household spending;
• Approximately 186.7 direct full-time equivalent (FTE) employment positions, with an estimated additional 72.0
employment positions supported indirectly through other industries and household consumption for a total
employment impact of 258.7 FTEs; and
• An estimated contribution to GRP of $13.9 million from direct effects, with a further flow on impact of $6.6 million
through other industries for a total industry value added of $20.5 million. An additional $4.8 million in gross
regional product can be attributed to consumption-induced effects.
Table 8: Economic Impact (Loss) of Cancellation of Bluesfest 2021, Indirect Tourism Expenditure
Byron Shire Northern Rivers New South Wales Australia
Output ($ million)
Direct 26.9 44.8 63.3 63.3
Indirect 14.0 26.5 41.6 51.2
Consumption 10.0 26.4 66.1 66.7
Total 50.9 97.7 171.0 181.2
Income ($ million)
Direct 5.7 9.6 13.5 13.5
Indirect 2.5 4.7 7.8 10.1
Consumption 1.8 9.0 20.2 20.7
Total 10.0 23.2 41.5 44.2
Employment (fte persons)
Direct 186.7 311.1 438.3 438.3
Indirect 37.2 69.3 107.4 134.9
Consumption 34.8 175.2 317.6 323.8
Total 258.7 555.6 863.3 897.0
Value added ($ million)
Direct 13.9 23.1 32.6 32.6
Indirect 6.6 12.7 20.0 24.4
Consumption 4.8 20.3 43.5 51.6
Total 25.3 56.1 96.1 108.6
The flow-on impacts from the loss of tourism spending due to the cancellation of Bluesfest 2021 to other industries
across Byron Shire as derived from the LocalImpact model are substantial and have been disaggregated in order to
measure the foregone contribution in other areas of the economy. The following table (Table 9) demonstrates that
the Accommodation & Food Services industry was impacted the most in terms of loss of total output ($14.1 million),
followed by Retail Trade ($9.0 million) and Arts & Recreation Services ($5.3 million).
10Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2021
Estimated Local Employment Foregone by Bluesfest 2021 Cancellation
Byron LGA (FTEs)
Accommodation & food services
Retail trade
Arts & recreation services
Administrative & support services
Manufacturing
Professional, scientific & technical services
Transport, postal & warehousing
Other services
Wholesale trade
Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Rental, hiring & real estate services
Financial & insurance services
Information media & telecommunications
Education & training
Health care & social assistance
Construction
Electricity, gas, water & waste services
Public administration & safety
Mining
0 20 40 60 80 100
Table 9: Estimated Disaggregated Industry Impacts of Bluesfest 2021 (Foregone Tourism Spending), Byron Shire
Industry division Industry output Direct employment
($ million) (FTEs)
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 1.8 4.4
Mining 0.0 0.1
Manufacturing 3.9 7.1
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 1.4 1.5
Construction 0.9 1.8
Wholesale Trade 2.1 4.5
Retail Trade 9.0 70.1
Accommodation and Food Services 14.1 99.0
Transport, Postal and Warehousing 2.3 7.1
Information Media and Telecommunications 1.1 2.0
Financial and Insurance Services 1.8 2.7
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services 1.8 2.8
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 2.3 7.1
Administrative and Support Services 1.8 7.4
Public Administration and Safety 0.2 1.0
Education and Training 0.2 1.9
Health Care and Social Assistance 0.3 1.9
Arts and Recreation Services 5.3 32.0
Other Services 0.7 4.6
Total 50.9 258.7
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